Halloween Favor Set - witchcraft. This was in my dad's stuff, so I am assuming it is from the early 1920's. It is in the original box. The box and its graphics are in good condition, but both ends are missing.

This set includes a a tripod with a kettle that hangs from it. A devil, owl and kettle are also included. Missing is a cat. The tripod is wood and the other items are metal. The kettle is 1/2" tall. The owl is 7/8 inches and the devil is a little over an inch.

Need a favor done bad?

Just ask the Devil.

Well, the cat has gone off on his own, so you might be S.O.L. when you go to cast your spells.

Probably he's working as some witch's familiar.

This looks like the sort of thing that jumpstarts a Stephen King novel.

Vintage original Chinese Dragon Costume from Ben Cooper, circa 1950. Box has usual damage such as splits and torn corners, but still displays nice. Large full face Muslin painted mask of dragon, along with original "silk" costume featuring the image of a golden dragon on the front. One stain near crotch, that appears to be stage blood from years ago (see photo). Shows prior use, but makes a great display.

So it's a visual meme, a lexical meme, a psychological meme....it's a lot of things.

And it goes back to the mythological troll archetype, of course.

But then there's the endearing side to trolls (like the Russ ones or the ones from Denmark is it?). Or the ones made by 5 Arts Studio in Cosby, TN. About which I wish somebody would make a documentary...about that family and its history with trollmaking. I have one of their trolls on my stairs to my third floor even as I speak. He's made out of all sorts of forest things. Bark and flax and pebbles and acorns. I blogged about that family and those trolls, but I think it was on another blog.

The only bad thing about this as a costume is you're not gonna wanna keep that mask on very long at a party or anywhere else. And you might not fit into a taxi. The best Halloween costumes are those where you can keep in costume and still enjoy yourself. But this does make the uncool (net trolls) cute lol. To think of the Night of a Million Trolls on Halloween. Give them one night. Then tell them to shut the hell up.

Oh, postscript: I looked up the origin of the Troll meme (the face here). It actually originated on the deviantART site. That's a great site. I joined and posted a few items a few years ago but sort of drifted away from it. I'm not super visually productive. But when I go there I always find great stuff. I love that German guy who does the hamster pix and the oh-so-squee photos (kittens and such) that make you feel as though you ate eighteen sugar cubes in thirty seconds. I can't remember his name right now. He's a deviantART diva.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Here we have a Witch on a Black Cat Candy Container. Dates to before 1920. The witch's head is made of a composition papier-mache material. The cat's body is also made of papier-mache. The hands and legs of the witch are made of wood. The black cat's head comes off to reveal the candy container aspect of the piece. The Witch wears great clothes made of cotton, linen and felt. The cat is covered in a black mohair texture. One of the cat's glass eyes is broken and partially gone. The cat has a painted nose and mouth which is also partially gone. A rare and unusual piece. A nice size at 6.75" tall and 5" from the nose to tail of the cat. This piece remains in very nice all original antique condition with no repairs or touch-ups. The cardboard cylinder that fits into the neck of the the cat is stamped "Germany".

An old antique cast iron Halloween witch figure with a long spring attached. Hold it by the spring or hang it by the spring and the witch bounces about. The witch alone measures 4 inches tall and is nearly 2 inches wide. The spring is 2 3/4 inches long when not extended. Both the witch and spring have some rust and wear, but overall really nice condition.

It measures 19 3/4" high . It is in very good condition . There has been some fading of the orange I believe .There is some other wear. Where the le connects to the dress it is just a bit floppy and there is a hole at the top from which it was hung . It is embossed GERMANY.

Isn't this one great?

It's already at close to fifty dollars but I predict it will jump up in a mad bidding war in the last few minutes.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

This auction is for a skull. The skull is human, with the lower jaw is wired on. There are 3 holes; the top has been cut around so that it comes off (wired on also). The skull has no teeth. There is pencil writing on the top of the skull - I can only make out the word Ben. The second photo & the back view shows the true color. The S & H is FREE for this item.

So the whiter versions have had their color adjusted.

Oh well, get out the Clorox and maybe it will turn white. Okay, sorry. Now I'm getting a little queasy.

Not exactly a comforting thought to think one's skull might come up on EBAY to amuse people at Halloween!

Well, if you donate your body to science--it's potentially in the game!

That or this could have been one of the folks provided to medical schools of old by those enterprising grave diggers!

This wonderful set was recently found on a trip Salem, Massachusetts. The delicate antique china is ringed with images of witches on broomsticks, both around the perimeter of the saucer and around the outside of the cup. Inside the black-rimmed cup are 23 fortune-telling images, ranging from a ship to a four leaf clover to a crown to a death's head. Where the tea leaves fell one would uncover one's fortune.

The saucer measures 5 1/2 inches in diameter; the cup measures around 3 3/4 inches in diameter. The cup's bottom is marked with an image of one of the witches with the word "patented." The saucer is marked "PETERSYN CO., Passaic New Jersey, Patented," along with the eagle trade symbol of the Moritz Zdekauer (M.Z.), along with the word Austria. The eagle mark was used by the Moritz Zdekauer company between 1884 and 1910, which dates the cup and saucer to this period.

The cup and saucer are in wonderful condition. There is a tiny fleck of paint loss to the rim of the cup (please see my photograph for detail.) The cup's handle has two little tiny spurs which were original to the cup, and are not a defect. (visible in my photograph.) Most of the graphics are sharp and bright with very little wear. It's a wonderful, truly antique set, and would make a great addition to a collection, especially with its Salem, Massachusetts provenance.

This is the second Petersyn "Fortune Telling" Witches Cup/Saucer set I have posted here.

The other one was the Green Witches version. This is the Black Witches version, which I'm told is the less rare of two rarities.

This one is about to go off in 45 minutes and with 9 bids is currently at just a hair under 200 dollars.

But I'm expecting a mad flurry in the last few minutes should please this seller!

If you happen to find a full set of these things in your great auntie's china closet, you can plan that trip to Japan or anywhere else.

About Me

William Keckler. Poet. Blawger. Photographer/visual artist. You can see my work here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamkeckler/ I also post much of my own work on my Tumblr: www.thevisualvirgin.tumblr.com/.
I wish I could say humans move me closer to God, but usually it's the Cocteau Twins. If you're harming others or yourself physically, mentally or spiritually, today is a great day to stop.
Recent mag publications of photography and visual art (with links) are here:http://www.flickr.com/people/williamkeckler/
My books include Sanskrit of the Body, which won in the National Poetry Series, and Recombinant Image Day (which is available as a free PDF download at Broken Boulder Press).